It’s a fact that more women read Jane Austen than men. Men might scratch their heads when it comes to understanding her appeal, but there ARE some who are enamored with her. Old Fogey of the blog Idolising Jane is not only a testament that Jane’s writing appeals to the opposite sex but that men bring a fine sensibility and understanding to her work. Steve Chandler and Terrence Hill are the authors of Two Guys Read Jane Austen, a charming and funny book about two men who read Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park and came away with a new respect for the author and her work. Joseph Thouvenel states:
As 21st century guys, we can learn a lot from the attitudes and behaviors displayed in Jane Austen’s novels. While it would be possible to argue that Austen uses her novels to construct attributes of an ideal man (and this may be a very valid point), I believe the qualities that these men posses are worth striving for in our lives. Men today would do well to learn from their ability to be confident without being cocky, chivalrous without being demeaning; maintaining the honor and dignity of the women in our lives, observant and responsive to the needs of those around us, and models of integrity in how we spend our time and resources. It’s probably obvious that I believe masculinity today has been somewhat distorted. Reviving Austen’s ideals would do much to reinvigorate how we as men perceive ourselves, the world (and women) around us, and, in turn, how they perceive us as well. - Jane Austen and the 21st Century Man
What a fine young man! The blog author of Some of nothing wrote in Six Reasons Why Men Should Watch/Read Jane Austen puts it more bluntly (and not without humor), urging men to “dig Jane” in order to connect with women. As one woman told him, “If we can dig Spock, you can dig Lizzy.” Not bad advice. So many women support movies and books that were designed to appeal to men, and they do so without much protestation. Can men claim the reverse? The terms chick lit and chick flicks have a light weight connotation that male bonding movies like Die Hard, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, (which my brother has seen a zillion times and whose charm escapes me), Goodfellas, and Fight Club do not possess. Some of Nothing’s blog author concludes that Jane Austen is good! Bless his enlightened heart.
Still, male Jane Austen admirers are few and far between. Sir Walter Scott waxed eloquently over Pride and Prejudice, saying: “ That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life, which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with. “ Yet David Arthur Walters admits to not caring about Jane Austen, and Mark Twain was quite vocal in disliking her work, even though he was drawn to read her books over and over. His famous quote,”Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone,” hangs in the Mark Twain House. No wonder the museum has trouble staying open, for what self-respecting Janeite would pass through its doors?
Almost two hundred years after Jane’s death in 1817 she is more popular than ever – among women. The Jane Austen Book Club distinguished itself by having one male member join the group, and Prudy was able to connect to her husband by urging him to read Persuasion, but these are the exceptions and not the rule.
Prudie and her husband read Persuasion
There are signs of hope that the other sex is discovering the joys of reading this fine author. Almost a year ago author Laurie Viera Rigler wrote, Why Men Should Read Jane Austen, making a compelling case for why men should discover her. I conclude my short essay with a poll. If you were to urge your significant male other or male friend or relative in your life to read Jane Austen, which book would you suggest that he read first?
Click on image.
Hi Vic, excellent post! thanks for linking to my Scott comments and pulling all the male opinions of Austen together, esp Old Fogey’s Idolising Jane blog, ever insightful! It is also interesting to read the contemporary and other early reviews of Austen, mostly by men (Scott’s anonymous review of Emma is a fine example), who focus more on her literary talents rather than the social times they were all living in, which tend to draw the 21st century reader in [or shut them out!].
My husband was force-fed P&P years ago in high school, but asked me last year to suggest an Austen read for him – I chose Persusion, due to it length, more serious storyline, and the Navy bits. He read it willingly, but with a fair amount of groaning, and ended with saying that Austen could have told the tale in a QUARTER of the words! – alas! therein lies the problem with Austen – if you “get into” the language and Austen’s glorious world of words and wit, she works, otherwise one is lost.
A great friend of mine [who re-reads P&P at least once every year!] has a new man in her life and he is what we affectionately call an “Austen Virgin” – my friend has, at his request, started reading P&P to him OUT LOUD, and he is transfixed! has all these great comments like “now just WHY is Mr. Collins in this book?” and “Mr Darcy is a jerk” and “what’s a ‘meryton’?” etc, etc. – but he is becoming most attuned to the sound of her language, and reminds me that this is perhaps the way to approach Austen for the first time.
Thanks again Vic for bringing this issue to the fore – hope it gets all America [and elsewhere] sharing their Austen with their significant others!
Deb
I agree reading aloud is great. I still enjoy being read to hence my love of audio books. My Man is NOT a reader so he enjoys the movies but when I play the audio CD in the car, he’ll start conversation about it because he knows the difference between the movie and book versions.
I have some hope that men may become Austen fans… When I was in college, I took a class on literature pre-1860 (it was a course requirement for English majors). The professor announced via the syllabus that one of the works we would be studying would be Pride & Prejudice. There was much out-loud groaning from both female and male students (though probably more inward groaning among male students), but once we actually started the book later in the semester, much of the vigorous discussion came from male students. And not all of it was negative.
I also studied for the class’s final exam with a group of students, mostly male, and was gratified to find that the book was one of their favorites that we covered in the course. One guy talked about how much he found to relate to his own life, and especially (though not Christian), how much he found it related to the requirements set for men by his religion.
Nevertheless, I’m not sure I would pick P&P as the initial book for most male readers. I picked Persuasion in your poll too, as I think some of the themes in that novel may be more appealing than the ones in other novels (though I think they all probably do apply).
Definitely P&P. It is like the bible for men on how to understand women.
;-)
Thanks for the insightful essay Vic.
LA
oh – and who’s the hunk readin P&P in the photo at the top of the post? New friend you’re trying to convert?
;-)
LA
Ha, LA! A friend gave me a book with that image. I just had to share it, and voila! – a post on men and Jane Austen. Please note there are tears running down his cheeks as he is reading P&P
I guess I don’t get to vote since I’m a man and I’m not gay, so no male significant other.
Vic,
I vote Persuasion, but I think Pride and Prejudice is fine to first reading.
Ooops, Mark, Sorry. Thinking about it, I should have said favorite male in your family so that everyone could be included. My bad. I made a change in the last sentence, but could not change the question in the poll. Vic
Love your post. And thanks for linking to my post. I do have hopes that with more wonderful teachers (especially male teachers) introducing male and female students alike to the glory of Jane Austen’s wit and social commentary, there will be a change in attitude. I also think it would help if a guy’s guy director like Martin Scorcese directed an adaptation of an Austen book. In any case, I have hope!
In college, I took Jane Austen as my British Author concentration course (I had been a fan of P&P for many years prior) and half the class was male. It was great.
My husband has watched all the P&P movies with me (he’s such a dear — I have a few of them!) but has yet to read a book. I would choose P&P because it is amusing and there are a plethora of visual references for him should he so wish to recall them.
I can see the value in Persuasion, but even a fan like me didn’t like that novel on first reading. (Shh! Don’t tell!)
Lovely poll. :)
Mark Twain might have hated Jane Austen, but C.S. Lewis admitted that he adored her books. I’ll read Lewis over Twain any day of the week.
I’m a 64-year-old married male, a retired Navy pilot and Vietnam vet, who was first introduced to Jane Austen in high school and have reread all of her novels annually ever since. I always start with Mansfield Park, the work that continues to generate the most questions, and finish with Pride and Prejudice, the most enjoyable. Jane was a genius whose understanding of men was equal to her understanding of women. Her heroes were as manly as her heroines were womanly, and she treated the wimps, the hand-wringers, the cowards, and the effete with disdain. Any real man would love Jane Austen.
[...] Men Reading Jane Austen [...]
WAS JANE AUSTEN BLACK?
“In person she was very attractive; her figure was rather tall and slender, her step light and firm, and her whole appearance expressive of health and animation. In complexion she was a clear brunette with a rich colour; she had full round cheeks, with mouth and nose small and wellformed bright hazel eyes, and brown hair forming natural curls close round her face.”
James-Edward Austen,
Jane’s nephew
~
“… certainly pretty-bright & a good deal of colour in her face – like a doll – no that would not give at all the idea for she had so much expression – she was like a child – quite a child very lively and full of humour.”
Mr Fowle,
family friend
~
“… her’s was the first face I can remember thinking pretty … Her hair, a darkish brown, curled naturally – it was in short curls round her face…Her face was rather round than long – she had a bright but not a pink colour – a clear brown complexion and very good hazel eyes. Her hair, a darkish brown, curled naturally, it was in short curls around her face. She always wore a cap … before she left Steventon she was established as a very pretty girl, in the opinion of most of her neighbours.”
Caroline Austen,
Jane’s niece
~
“Her hair was dark brown and curled naturally, her large dark eyes were widely opened and expressive. She had clear brown skin and blushed so brightly and so readily.”
An early description of young Jane at Steventon by Sir Egerton Brydges
~
“She was tall and slender; her face was rounded with a clear brunette complexion and bright hazel eyes. Her curly brown hair
escaped all round her forehead, but from the time of her coming to live at Chawton she always wore a cap, except when her nieces had her in London and forbade it.”
Edward Austen Leigh of Jane’s appearence in the years just after the family left Southampton
~
” Her stature rather exceeded the middle height; her carriage and deportment were quiet but graceful; her complexion of the finest texture, it might with truth be said that her eloquent blood spoke through her modest
cheek.”
” Her pure and eloquent blood spake in her cheeks and so distinctly wrought that you had almost said her body thought.”
Henry Austen said of his sister
~
http://www.jasa.net.au/images/austen.htm
[...] and refreshingly enlightened in his memoir. But, if that is his hangup, let this commenter from a blog be the sufficient answer: I’m a 64-year-old married male, a retired Navy pilot and Vietnam vet, [...]
I recently picked up my parent’s 1959 copy, purchased by my mom during their honeymoon so that she could read it aloud to my dad while he recovered from appendicites (an unfortunate beginning to the marriage, but they’re still together 51 years later!). The first sentence hooked me and now I’m about to finish it. Yes, it’s “chick lit”, but you know, it’s also insightful, charming, and a ton of fun. As a guy, I have no qualms admitting that I’m reading it. It’s a great novel!
I was surprised to find alienintheheights comment in my email postbox. Yet none of you have commented on my Was Jane Austen Black? research, as if it was written with invisible inkt. But I guess that people who worry about men reading Jane Austen, surely cannot handle the idea of a Black Jane Austen: they would simply feak out!
Reading Emma again for the fith time, and torture myself to find out the double meaning behind every phrase, because its an allegory. As Austen writes that Emma never left Highbury, -England- ;its clear she is not talking about a normal person, but rather of a royal person, and Highbury to be England. The business about charades is another lead to unnderstand the real meaning of the novel Emma. Her best work.
[...] about that choice, especially from the other men in the program. I realize now that there are othermenwhoreadAusten, but back then I felt like a weirdo. The second problem that came up in graduate [...]
[...] to say that more women than men read Jane and yet men are encouraged to embrace the hidden Austen. There is a blog encouraging men to read her, there is a blog by two guys who read her, there is a web page for all the novels and includes [...]
Well Vic, let’s not forget that you got this guy into JASNA back in 2008.
I am a man and I’m still a proud member.
I will be forever in debt to you for that!
I hope to meet you in person at last. Hope you’ll come to New York’s AGM in October.
Sincerely,
— Jorge Castilla.
I blush to think that I had that much influence! I am making every effort to go to AGM in October. It would be a delight to say hello in person!